Masters
by Celey
Summary: Kakashi is finally close to becoming a sannenin. The only thing he has to do is master his summoning jutsu. The problem? The Lord of the Ninja Hounds is the hardest summon jutsu to master. Not wanting to be undone, Gai does something equally dangerous.


Masters

(Author's Note: This story is set in an undetermined future of Naruto, most likely a couple of years beyond Naruto Shippuden. You do not, however, need to have seen Naruto Shippuden, in order to enjoy the reading of this fanfiction. This fic is also spoiler-free. By the way, I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. The parts I have made up will be obvious.)

Ordinarily, Kakashi would be at home, reading, but ever since his power had peaked he was spending more and more time at the outskirts of the Leaf Village. He sat on a boulder Indian-style, his hands clapsed and his eyes closed in intense meditation. Through years of training, he finally had the power of a sannenin, but he had not been officially recognized as such. Kakashi sighed and tilted his head, narrowly avoiding a punch. He did not have to open his eye to see who was attacking him, but he did anyway, out of courtesy.

"Kakashi," Gai said, with a glittering grin.

"I come out here to be alone, you know." Kakashi stood and folded his arms. Gai waved his hand in dismissal.

"If you really wanted to be alone, you wouldn't come here every single day where you know I can find you."

Kakashi put a hand to his head, grumbling something inaudible. Gai only grinned, "You didn't think that recent power increase of yours would sever our rivalry, now, did you? I will catch up, and when I do, BAM! You'll be out for weeks."

_Sannenin,_ Kakashi thought, _Becoming a true sannenin would give our village more of an advantage. Everyone is waiting for me to make the full transition. But..._

Kakashi side-stepped another blow; Gai clenched his fists.

"Pay attention to me when I'm talking to you. Kakashi, I..."

Kakashi held up his hand to silence Gai, shooting him a weary look. Gai shut his mouth, glancing at him curiously.

"You know what's bothering me." Kakashi turned away from the village and walked.

Gai dawned a serious look and followed. They walked in silence for a moment until he could take the tension no longer.

"You don't have to become a sannenin if you don't want to Kakashi. No one would hold it against you." He was a true friend; though, neither of them would admit that to each other. The concerned look in his eyes was appreciated, but it made Kakashi even more nervous about the prospect of becoming a sannenin. Gai never tried to dissuade anyone from anything. Ever.

"It's my fault, Gai. Nobody has said mastering any summoning jutsu is easy, but I just had to be cocky and form a pact with the hardest animal summoning jutsu in the world." Kakashi didn't normally vent, especially not to Gai, but this had been hanging over him for a year now, "Nobody has even seen the Lord of the Ninja Hounds."

There were rumors, of course. The rumor was that the Lord of the Ninja Hounds had eaten every would-be sannenin that's tried to summon him. It wasn't that Kakashi wasn't willing to lay his life on the line for the sake of the village; it was just that he preferred to lay it down while he was protecting the village, not while trying to master his summoning jutsu. Gai understood this. Kakashi took in a deep breath.

"I have to go through with it. For the sake of the Leaf Village."

What Kakashi was going to do... Gai wasn't sure if he could come up with a rule that would be comparable to it. He hadn't yet reached the level of sannenin, so mastering his own summoning jutsu wouldn't work. Besides, mastering the eldest turtle wouldn't be as hard as mastering the Lord of the Ninja Hounds. He thought for a moment, as they walked into the forest outside the Village Hidden in the Leaves.

"Kakashi..."

Kakashi glanced at him, "Hmm?"

"If anyone can master the Lord of the Ninja Hounds, it's you. You have the guts; you have the strength, and you're still in your prime. Kakashi, you master the Ninja Hounds... and I... I will master the world's angriest mountain."

A volcano. Kakashi's eye widened.

"Gai, you're insane."

Gai gave Kakashi a thumbs up, "No more insane than you. If I can survive training in a volcano for a day, then I'll know... I'll know that you've mastered the Lord of the Ninja Hounds."

It couldn't be done. It was impossible. No. Kakashi stopped in his tracks, and Gai looked back at him questioningly. Gai could do the impossible. He didn't know the meaning of the word.

"You're really going to do it, aren't you?" Kakashi looked into Gai's determined eyes.

"That's right. If we're going to do this, we have to do it today, Kakashi. No turning back. No regrets."

"Now? Without..."

"Yes, now. Before we change our minds, before that tiny voice inside of us tries to pull us back to our senses. It's now or never, Kakashi. What's it going to be?"

Kakashi stood in the center of the forest. It was like the whole world had gone silent, as though straining to hear his final answer. Time waited on him and him alone.

"Let's do it."

There was a part of each of them that had hoped, he would decide against it. That part was officially silenced the moment he spoke. Gai left without a word; Kakashi knew where he was headed. He made it his goal to get as far away from the village as possible. Chances were the Lord of the Ninja Dogs wasn't going to be happy about being summoned.

* * *

The clearing Kakashi settled in was perfect. Not another human being for miles. A bitter, old shrew couldn't get more isolated than he was now. Kakashi gathered his chakra and bit his finger. He started to make the hand signs.

And, at the last minute, he chickened, backed off his power, and ended up summoning Pakkun. He grinned sheepishly and put his hand behind his head. Pakkun looked at him lazily, "I was taking a nap, you know."

"I, uh..."

Pakkun's eyes narrowed, "I know. You were going to summon my lord, weren't you?"

"I still intend to. But... I... Could you give me some tips?"

Pakkun laughed, "No can do. My lips are sealed. My lord would have me for breakfast if I ever spilled his secrets. You're on your own."

Kakashi's eyelid lowered, a little annoyed and disappointed, "A lot of help you are."

"It was nice knowing you," Pakkun added, before poofing away.

Great. That did wonders for his confidence. Kakashi sighed. He raised his headband off of his other eye. He had a feeling he might need both of them. Then, he started gathering his chakra again. The chakra built to an impressive level for this summoning jutsu would require an impressive amount of chakra... and then some.

* * *

It had taken a lot of energy to get to the volcano in the amount of time Gai did. It was so far away from the Village Hidden in the Leaves that most of the villagers hadn't even heard of it. He stood at the rim of the volcano, already feeling like he had mastered it.

"Ah, nature's fury." He looked into the volcano, his heart beating quick with excitement and a tinge of fear. He could already feel the intensity of the heat from the lava within. He would train on the lava itself...

Gai's massive, bushy eyebrows set his determined expression, "I will conquer you!"

* * *

Kakashi bit his thumb again and made the hand signs. Here it is. He was actually doing it. He was actually going to summon the Lord of the Ninja Hounds. The final sign...

The poof had to be the biggest poof he had ever seen in his entire life. The Lord of the Ninja Hounds spoke before the smoke cleared. His voice resonated with power.

"WHO HAS SUMMONED ME? I smell you! I smell your fear..."

Kakashi swallowed, but he couldn't back down, now. He had to show the Lord of the Ninja Hounds he meant business.

Kakashi shouted up into the smoke, "I am Kakashi Hakate of the Village Hidden in the Leaves! I humbly ask to add your power to my own!"

The smoke cleared, revealing an unbelievable image. If Kakashi didn't know that the figure possessed awesome power, he might have laughed. The Lord of the Ninja Hounds was fat, much fatter than the Boss Frog Jiraya was capable of summoning. He also had three heads. Three... Pug heads. The folds of fat on the Lord of the Ninja Hounds' necks could have passed as hills themselves.

"Humbly? HUMBLY? You humans... You're arrogant, the whole lot of you." The three Pug heads glared down at Kakashi.

"And you failed to address me with the proper respect. I should eat you right now, you miserable little morsel."

_Oh boy, he's already referring to me as food. This isn't good, _Kakashi thought.

"Please, Lord of the Ninja Hounds..."

The three Pug heads roared, "YOU WILL CALL ME LORD PUGBUS!"

Kakashi didn't even think that the name was ridiculous; he complied immediately.

"Lord Pugbus, will you cooperate with me? I want to protect my village..."

Lord Pugbus chuckled; Kakashi was simply amazed that the three Pug heads were so in tune with each other. Neither one of them spoke out of turn or interrupted each other; it was as though they were one.

"Protect your village. How many times have I heard that one? Listen, you appetizer, there's only one way you're going to get your name on my scroll and walk away with your life."

"I'm listening!" Kakashi shouted.

"I demand 100 human sacrifices to fill my belly." The three Pug heads bowed slightly; Kakashi could almost feel their breath on him. There was no question what he had to do now. He had dreaded it. Oh, he had dreaded it.

Kakashi steadily looked up into one Pug head's bulging eyes.

"I can never comply to such a horrific demand," he said, positioning himself into a fighting stance.

"But I will not hand over my life willingly. I set out to master this summoning jutsu, and if it means I have to master you, then so be it."

The Pug head closest to him lunged. Kakashi dodged and threw some shuriken. He landed a few hits, but Lord Pugbus shook them off as though they were fleas. Kakashi hadn't really expected that would work, if anything it probably annoyed his adversary. He tried to gather energy into his palm, but had to dodge several fireballs that the Pug heads launched out of their mouths instead. He took one full force because he couldn't dodge it in time.

"It's useless, morsel. I'm not even operating at five percent of my full power. Give up."

"No... CHIDORI!" Kakashi pushed through the pain, running at Lord Pugbus with the crackling energy in his hand.

* * *

Gai climbed very carefully down into the volcano, sweating bullets. The rock under his hands scorched him. He knew it would be hot, but he had no idea how hot up until now. Now that he was actually in the volcano. He concentrated on using his chakra to try and keep himself cool.

_Cold. Just think cold thoughts. Really tall mountains. The tundra. Snow. Lady Tsunade..._

* * *

Kakashi was exhausted. An hour of fighting, and Lord Pugbus showed no sign of being even slightly hurt or tired. Furthermore, he himself had a broken arm, severe burns, and he was running low on chakra.

One of the heads lunged at him again. Kakashi moved to dodge and jumped right into the jaws of one of the other heads. The teeth had clamped down on his broken arm; he suppressed crying out in pain, but tears formed in his eyes.

"I like my meat medium rare and a little crispy on the edges. You're not quite there yet, but don't worry, I'll get you there. Of course, the offer still stands. 100 human sacrifices... You won't even be a drop in my stomach."

Kakashi felt the warm, moistness of Lord Pugbus's mouth and the stench of his dog breath. There was no way out.

"It would be easy. Just summon me in a village and I'll pick my own meat..."

Kakashi didn't have much chakra left, but as long as he was alive, there was hope. A very, very small shimmer of hope. He pulled out a Chinese star.

"Eat this!" He stabbed it into the tongue. The beast did not respond like he had hoped; instead of spitting him out, he only clamped on harder. This time Kakashi screamed.

Lord Pugbus roared a stream of expletives, "I'LL BARBEQUE YOU!"

Kakashi could see flames rising from the throat. He braced himself for the inevitable pain.

* * *

Gai ran over the lava punching and kicking, concentrating his chakra to keep him from overheating and falling into the lava. At the same time, he had to focus on flares that would burst from the lava unexpectantly. Trying to read nature's next move was no easy task... and Gai had severe burns to prove it. He was rapidly dehydrating.

_If I cannot do a thousand punches and kicks, I will do a thousand push-ups..._

And as he did eight hundred seventy-two punches and kicks, he balanced himself on the lava and started the push-ups. No pain, no gain.

_If I cannot do a thousand... a thousand..._

And at the six hundred thirty-third push-up, Gai collapsed, sinking into the volcano's lava lake.

* * *

Kakashi felt like he was being cooked alive. The pain was unimaginable and the worst he had ever experienced.

"Mercy," he croaked.

He wished the thing would just eat him already.

"Changed your mind?" Lord Pugbus still sounded irritated.

"You want 100 human sacrifices, right?"

"That's right." Kakashi couldn't see from within one of the Pug head's mouths, but he was certain the other heads were licking their lips.

Kakashi's burns itched and throbbed. He closed his eyes, "I will never put innocent lives in danger. Torch me all you want, but I'm not going to do it. You might as well eat me, now. If you burn me anymore, I'll be ash in your mouth. I hope you choke."

"So be it."

The massive tongued engulfed Kakashi. Then, he knew he was dead.

He didn't even feel any pain anymore. He opened his eyes and saw the light...

Of the sun. He blinked. Lord Pugbus was standing over him, looking at him not with the angry glares of before, but more with curious puppy expressions.

Kakashi gasped for air, "I'm alive..."

He couldn't believe it. He sat up, staring up at Lord Pugbus incredulously, "I thought you were going to eat me."

"I was... but you passed my test."

"Test?" All this time, the Lord of the Ninja Hounds had been... testing him?

"A test of courage, a test of strength, but above all, a test of loyalty." Lord Pugbus dropped a slobbery scroll onto Kakashi. Wordlessly, Kakashi opened it and saw his name imprinted on the scroll. It was the only name printed on the scroll.

"I cannot allow just anyone to wield my power. All those who summon the ninja hounds know that ninja hounds are fiercely loyal to those who summon them. It is the way of the ninja dog, and it is the way of all good ninja. But in all of my years, not one person has passed my test. Some are too weak. They die in battle with me because they cannot endure, but you did. Some are too cowardly. In the beginning, they don't even try to fight me when I tell them my demand for human sacrificies. They simply run away. I may be fat, but I am not slow. I eat them. Finally, even if the ninjas pass the first two tests, and a majority actually do... In the end, they fail the loyalty test. Any ninja who would willingly sacrifice innocent human lives for the sake of power or for the sake of their own life does not deserve to be a ninja or even to so much as look at me."

"I see..." Kakashi glanced up at Lord Pugbus, then back at the scroll.

"From now on, whenever you summon me, I will be loyal and do your bidding."

Kakashi bowed, "I am greatly honored."

The silliest thing happened, then. Lord Pugbus wagged his massive, curly tail. Kakashi permitted himself to smile.

"By the way, the reason you're not feeling any pain right now is because I can switch from having normal saliva to acidic saliva to saliva laced with a pain-killer. You're not healed, far from it. Would you like to me to take you back to your village?"

"Just half the way there. I don't want to startle anyone too badly."

"Very well." Lord Pugbus laid down, "Climb on."

Weakly, Kakashi managed to climb up a Pug head's small snout, and he laid, worn out, on the nose.

* * *

When Kakashi finally got to the village, he had collapsed. When he next woke up, he was in a hospital bed. He sat up, blinking his eyes blearily.

"Gee, Kakashi, you were out for a week. What were you doing out there?"

Kakashi's eyes focused on the face of Lady Tsunade.

"I was..." He tried to find the words, "Here..."

He reached into his vest and pulled out the scroll. Tsunade didn't need to open it.

"You summoned the Lord of the Hounds, didn't you?" She grinned, "Congratulations, you're alive!"

"Thanks..." Death probably didn't feel as painful as being alive did right now.

"You're officially a sannenin, now. Welcome to the club."

"Yeah..." Kakashi was uninterested in congratulatory praise right now, "Hey, have you seen Gai around?"

Tsunade blinked, then frowned, "Gai? No. He hasn't been seen in the village since last week. I've already sent a small search party out to look for him. Lee is worried sick, which is why I had no choice but to put him in the search party. He was driving everyone crazy."

Kakashi put his hand to his head, "Oh..."

Tsunade glanced at Kakashi suspiciously, "Do you know where he might have gone and without telling anyone... not even his favorite student?"

Kakashi sighed heavily, "He went to go train in the volcano, north of here..."

"..." Tsunade stared at Kakashi, "Did you say... IN... the volcano?"

"Yes." Kakashi went silent after that. Surely, Gai was still alive.

Tsunade bit her lip. That Gai was such an idiot. Who the hell trains in a volcano, for crying out loud?

CRASH! Glass from the window exploded outward.

"Kakashi!"

And there stood Gai... Hardly recongizable at all, he was burnt to black. His most distinguishing feature, the eyebrows, were clearly missing from his charcoaled body. Even the voice didn't sound quite like him hoarse possibly from burnt vocal chords, but it had its irritatingly upbeat tone. Only Gai. The relief Kakashi felt made him feel ten years younger. Tsunade just stood there, unable to articulate her thoughts. By all reason and logic, Gai should be dead.

"I was wrong. Eight gates. Ha." He coughed up smoke and blood for a few moments, then he stepped forward, "You know what I call the nineth gate? The Gate of Hell!"

He collapsed in front of Tsunade and instantly, her medical training took over.

"You're a fool, a crazy fool," she muttered to Gai, as she worked. Those burns were not going to heal easily.

"No more crazy than I am," Kakashi said, grinning.

The End


End file.
